Can a Ukrainian Worker Legally Work on Your House, and How Do You Pay Them?
Temporary protection carries an immediate right to work in the EU and now runs to March 2028, so the legal question is simpler than most homeowners assume. The payment question is where people actually get into trouble, and the penalties for undeclared labour fall on the person paying. What to ask for, and the legitimate scheme in each country.
Ask a builder in Warsaw, Prague, Berlin or Tallinn who is on site this year and Ukrainian tradespeople will be a large part of the answer. For a homeowner about to hire, that raises two practical questions that often get muddled together: is this person legally allowed to do the work, and how do I pay them without creating a problem for either of us. The legal answer is clearer than most people assume. The payment answer is where homeowners actually get into trouble.
The legal position, in one paragraph
Ukrainians who fled after February 2022 hold status under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, the emergency mechanism the Council activated in March 2022. Temporary protection is not the same thing as an asylum claim, and it carries something an asylum claim does not: an immediate right to reside and to take employment or self-employment in the host member state, without applying separately for a work permit. In July 2026 the Council extended that status until 4 March 2028, so for the whole of any renovation you are planning now, the right to work is settled.
What this means in practice is that a Ukrainian plasterer holding valid temporary protection in Poland can be employed or engaged in Poland on the same footing as anyone else. There is no extra permission for you to obtain and no additional paperwork you are expected to file as the customer.
Employed, self-employed, or neither
There are only two lawful shapes for the work, and the difference matters to you.
The first is that the worker is employed by a firm. You contract with the company, the company invoices you, and the company carries the obligations: payroll taxes, social contributions, and liability insurance covering its staff on your property. This is the ordinary case when you hire a general contractor, and the worker's immigration status is the contractor's responsibility, not yours.
The second is that the worker is registered as self-employed in the country and invoices you directly. Temporary protection permits this, and in several countries registering a sole trader takes a day. You should still receive a proper invoice carrying a tax or VAT number, because that number is the evidence that the arrangement is declared.
The third shape, cash with no invoice and no registration, is not a legal option, and it is worth being blunt about who carries the risk.
Undeclared work is a risk to you, not only to them
Across most of Europe, the penalties for undeclared labour attach to the person paying as well as the person working. That is a deliberate design: enforcement targets demand, because demand is easier to find than supply. Depending on the country, a homeowner using undeclared labour on their own property can face administrative fines, liability for the unpaid social contributions, and disqualification from the tax reliefs described below.
The larger exposure is usually insurance. If an undeclared worker is injured on your property, your home insurance will generally decline the claim, because the arrangement was unlawful and typically excluded by the policy. You are then exposed personally to a workplace injury claim, and construction injuries are not small numbers. This is the single strongest practical argument for insisting on an invoice, and it has nothing to do with anyone's nationality.
The legitimate ways to pay for small and household work
Most European countries have built a lawful, low-friction channel for paying for household and small building work, precisely because they would rather the work be declared than cheap. Using the local scheme is usually the fastest way to stay clean, and several of them give you money back.
| Country | Scheme | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| France | CESU | Household services, declared and paid through a state platform |
| Belgium | Titres-services / dienstencheques | Subsidised vouchers for household help |
| Germany | Minijob-Zentrale, plus the Handwerkerleistungen deduction | Low-hours household employment; separate income tax relief on tradesmen labour |
| Sweden | ROT and RUT deductions | Tax relief on renovation and household labour, paid only to F-skatt registered firms |
| Austria | Dienstleistungsscheck | Vouchers for simple household services |
| Italy | Libretto Famiglia | Occasional household work through a state booklet |
| Netherlands | Regeling dienstverlening aan huis | Framework for household services at home |
The Swedish and German examples are worth spelling out because they invert the usual assumption. Sweden's ROT deduction and Germany's relief on tradesmen labour both require a registered business and a traceable bank payment. Pay cash and you do not merely take a legal risk, you also hand back a deduction you were entitled to. The declared route is frequently the cheaper one once the relief is counted.
What to ask for, in order
- The residence document showing valid temporary protection in the country where the work will happen, and its expiry date.
- Either the employing company name and registration number, or the worker’s own tax or VAT registration number.
- A written quote and then an invoice carrying that number, the address of the work, and a description of what was done.
- Proof of liability insurance from the firm, dated within the last twelve months.
- Payment by bank transfer to the account named on the invoice, never to a different name.
What happens after March 2028
Temporary protection is designed to end, and the Council has already signalled the exit path: member states are being pushed to move people onto ordinary residence permits, whether for employment, study or family, or onto the EU-wide instruments such as the Blue Card and the Single Permit. For a homeowner this changes little, because the check stays the same. You are looking at a residence document and a tax registration number, and it does not matter which legal instrument produced them.
What it does mean is that a document expiring in 2027 is not evidence of a right to work in 2029. If you are planning a long project, check the expiry date rather than assuming continuity.
Frequently asked questions
Can Ukrainians work in the EU without a separate work permit?+
Yes. Temporary protection under the EU Temporary Protection Directive carries an immediate right to reside and to take employment or self-employment in the host member state, with no separate work permit required. The Council extended that status until 4 March 2028, so it covers any renovation you are planning now. The right applies in the country that issued the protection.
What document should I ask a Ukrainian tradesperson to show me?+
The residence document issued by the country where the work will take place, not the Ukrainian passport. Each country issues its own - a karta pobytu in Poland, an Aufenthaltstitel in Germany, an equivalent card elsewhere. Check the expiry date. Then ask for either the employing company's registration number or, if they are self-employed, their own tax or VAT number, because that number is what shows the arrangement is declared.
Is it legal to pay a worker in cash for a small job?+
Paying cash is not itself unlawful, but paying for work that is never declared is, and in most European countries the penalties reach the person paying as well as the person working. The bigger exposure is insurance: if an undeclared worker is injured on your property your home policy will generally decline the claim, leaving you personally exposed to a construction injury claim. Several countries also cap cash payments by law.
What happens when temporary protection ends in March 2028?+
The Council's plan is to move people onto ordinary residence permits for work, study or family, or onto EU instruments such as the Blue Card and the Single Permit. For a homeowner nothing changes about the check itself: you are still looking at a valid residence document and a tax registration number, whichever legal instrument produced them. A document expiring in 2027 is not evidence of a right to work in 2029, so check the date on long projects.
